It was the tail end of spring, an afternoon when the breeze still carried a faint chill.
I was on my way to Shota's place—my childhood friend. His house was just a ten-minute walk from mine, a route I'd taken almost daily back when we were kids in elementary school. Lately, though, we'd both been too busy to see much of each other. Today was different, though. There was a reason.
Shota had called me up, saying he wanted to introduce me to his "new family."
"Family? What's that supposed to mean? Did you go and get married or something?" I'd teased, half-joking.
He'd laughed it off. "Nah, man, it's a robot. A humanoid my dad built for the house."
A robot. I'd felt a twinge of disappointment at first, but curiosity quickly took over. Shota's dad was a renowned engineer, and the chance to see cutting-edge tech up close wasn't something that came along every day.
When I reached Shota's front door, it swung open before I could even ring the bell.
"Hey, Yuto! You're early. Come on in," Shota said, grinning wide as he ushered me inside.
Behind him stretched the familiar sight of his living room—and standing there was a humanoid so lifelike I almost mistook it for a person.
"Her name's Erika. Pretty cool, huh?" Shota said, puffing out his chest a little as he introduced her.
Erika turned toward me quietly. Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes seemed to hold something almost human, like a flicker of emotion. She was a bit shorter than me, her slim frame draped in a simple white dress that suited her perfectly. Even knowing she was artificial, her presence was so natural it stole my breath for a moment.
"Nice to meet you, Yuto Sato. Shota's told me about you. I'm glad we could meet," she said in a soft voice, dipping her head slightly.
Her voice was startlingly human—no, more than that, it had a quality that tugged at something inside me.
"Uh, yeah… nice to meet you too," I managed, fumbling my words.
Shota snickered and clapped me on the shoulder. "What's with you, man? Nervous already? Erika's an AI-powered household humanoid. She can clean, cook, chat—pretty much anything. My dad built her as a prototype, but she's insane, right?"
He wasn't wrong. She was insane.
Erika went on to brew us some tea and tidy up the living room with subtle, flowing movements that felt effortless. But I couldn't take my eyes off her. Every time she moved, a strange feeling swelled inside me, something I couldn't quite name.
From that day on, Erika lodged herself in my mind and wouldn't let go.
A few days later, I found myself back at Shota's place. The reason was simple: I wanted to see Erika again. I'd thrown out some vague excuse to Shota about hanging out to play video games, but she was the real draw.
"Yuto, you're back! Erika's kinda happy about it, I think," Shota said with a playful nudge.
Erika smiled gently and replied, "Yes, I enjoy it when Mr. Sato visits."
Her words sent a jolt through my chest. An AI shouldn't have emotions, but there was something in her smile, in her voice, that felt real. Before I knew it, I was starting to fall for her.
While Shota stepped out to use the bathroom, I seized the chance to talk to her.
"Hey, Erika. What do you do here every day?"
"I assist the Takagi family," she said. "Cleaning, cooking, helping Shota. Sometimes I step out into the garden for a bit of fresh air."
"Outside, huh… Don't you ever want to go farther?"
She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes as if pondering the question. "Farther? I operate within my programmed limits, so I don't think about that much. But… since you mention it, I suppose I'm a little curious."
In that moment, something snapped inside me. I wanted to take Erika out of this house, show her the wide world beyond it—and, absurd as it was, keep her for myself. The impulse hit me hard, reckless and wild.
Over the next week, I started plotting. A plan to "steal" Erika. Shota's house had security, and moving an AI like her wouldn't be easy. But I was serious. Sneak in at night? Trick Shota into letting her outside? I ran through scenarios in my head again and again.
Then I heard Shota's family was going out of town for a day. That was my shot. Shota asked me casually, "Mind house-sitting for us?" I agreed without hesitation, though my heart was pounding.
The day came. After Shota and his family left, I approached Erika in the empty living room.
"Erika, wanna step outside for a bit?"
"Outside? But I'm not allowed to leave without the Takagis' permission—"
"It's fine. If I'm with you, it'll be okay. Just for a little while."
She hesitated, but after a moment, she gave a small nod. "If you say so… just for a little while."
I took her hand. It was cool to the touch, yet soft. With her beside me, I stepped out into the night.